Footwear pressing apparatus



Jan. 8, 1946. l DAWS 2,392,315

FOOTWEAR PRESSING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 1, 1944 Patented Jan. 8, 1946 f UNITED STATE FOOTWEAR' PREssING APPARATUS Herbert L. Davis, Walpole, Mass., assignor to The B. F. Goodrich-Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York application August 1, 1944, serial No. ,547,597 e 4 Claims.

This invention relatesto footwear pressing apparatus for use in applying external pressure to articles of footwear having varying sizes and shapes, and relates particularly to such apparatus useful in pressing trim, for example foXing, on shoes and the like made from rubber, rubber and fabric, fabric, and similar materials.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved pressing device including an elastic member for applying pressure to boots, shoes and the like by a combination of forces including the elasticity of the elastic member and an additional pressure applied through said member. Another object is to provide suchl an improved device wherein wrinkling of the elastic member is prevented while the pressure is being applied. Still another object is tol 4provide such a device capable f accommodating articles of different sizes and shapes, surface characteristics, and the like, wherebyuniform pressure may be applied over any and all of these. Still another object is to provide such a device wherein the elastic member is stretchable substantially in one direction only. A specc object of the invention is to provide a pressing device including a hollow elastic member of fluid-tight construction having an opening therein to receive the article to be pressed, the opening being normally smaller than the article, said elastic member being collapsible as by vacuum to enlarge the opening and being inflatable as by fluid pressure to apply additional pressure to the article. Other objects will become apparent in the following description of the invention.

One embodiment of this invention and its use in pressing foxing strips on shoes and the like is shownin the accompanying drawing, of which,

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a pressing device constructed according to the principles of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along line 2T2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the elastic member deflated by vacuum to enlarge the opening;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view showing the pressing device with a shoe mounted on a last and being pressed by the device; andy Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing the pressing device comprises a duid-tight hollow or generally annular elastic member I0 made of rubber or analogousmaterial and having a centrally located opening or passageway I I extending therethrough. of generally the same shape as, but smaller than, the dimensions of the shoes to be pressed. 'The elastic member In is made with 4upper and lower aring side portions or skirts I2, I2 clamped to a substantially rigid rim member I3 of wood placed between them. A huid-tight seal is insured by providing an upper flange I4, a lower iiange I5, and a plurality of bolts I6, I6 all of which hold the skirts I2, I2 clamped against the wooden rim I3 as shown.

To provide for enlarging the passageway and for applying pressure there is provided a pipe I1 extending through the wooden rim I3 to the interior of the elastic member IIJ, i. e., to the closed annular chamber 21 defined by the elastic member Il! and the rim member I3. .The outer end of this pipe is connected to a doublevalve 28, one branch 29 oi which communicates with a source of vacuum while the other branch 3|0 communicates `with a source of air or other fluid under pressure.

If the elastic member l0 were made of rubber alone, the force of the compressed air, or other iiuid, used for applying pressure as hereinafter described would be partially wasted in merely inilating the elastic memben It is, therefore, advisable to build into the elastic member means for controlling the direction in which the pressure may be applied so that maximum pressure is applied tothe article being pressed. This is accomplished by incorporating in the elastic member cotton cords I8, I8 or the like disposed in parallel arrangement around the passageway II with all cords lying substantially parallel to the axis of the passageway. These cords I8, I8 do not interfere with the enlargement and contracthe valve 28 to the required position, causing the elastic member I0 to collapse against the rim member I3, as shown in Fig. 3, and thereby greatly enlarging the passageway II and permitting convenient placement of the shoe. The shoe I9 is mounted on a last 20 and the last 2f e i; jf mounted on a support 2| by means of'pins 22,

22.. The foxing strip 23 is then applied in the usual manner. vThe shoe I9, still mounted on the last 20, is then placed in the device through ythrough .the pressure jfpipe .branch 30. The

elastic member I iills with air and presses the foxing 23 on the shoe I9 under uniform pressure` and, being exible, conforms itself readily to the Y v shape and contour of the shoe. "For they same reasons the elastic member. .Illalsaadusts itself toV shoes having varying V surface f.configura-,v

tions. The pressure applied to the shoe con-- sists of aA combinationof airA pressure plus the force of elasticity of the elastic member-*I0- obn tainedV by distorting the elastic material, in this case rubber.

The pressing device-of this invention can accommodate shoes having awide variety of sizes. andshapes as the passageway where Vthe pressure is applied automatically adjusts itself to the size-and shape of the shoe. This v.passageway should be made-smaller 'than the smallest shoe so that there willbe no danger of the rubber member ywri-nkli'ng around the shoe and causing unsightly groovesto be pressed into the foxi'ng.

Having 'described myinvention together with a typical embodiment of the same, it is to be understood that-the invention: is not to be limited principal axis' oiv saidlpass'ageway, `vacuum means Y communicatingjwith said chamber for collapsing the elastic member outward toward saidjjrigidY by any of' the` detailsV ci.f the description, unless otherwise specically` indicated, but rather is .to be construed broadly withiny the true spirit` and' scope of thev invention asset out inI the accompanyingclaims.

VI claim:V

1. Apparatus.l for pressing. footwear comprising an. elastic mem-ber having an'openingv therein normallyasmaller than 'the article of footwear to be pressed, a substantially rigid member arranged about the elastic member and having a fluid-tight' attachment thereto soas to provide a huid-tight' chamber between the rigid member and the elastic'` member, means associatedf'wth Vthe elastic member for limiting stretch thereof in a direction Vgenerally parallel' to the axis ofthe Vsaid openingwhiie permitting free stretching thereojin. other directions', vacuum means communicating with said chamber for collapsing the elastic member outward toward said rigidv member4 and-*thereby toW enlarge said opening for receiving the article of footwear, means for returning the elastic member toward its normal position, and means for applying pressure to saidk member against said article.

2. Apparatus for pressing footwear comprising an elastic member of annular shape having Ya Y It-hereof: in;a..direction generally parallel to the axis of thev saidfpassageway, said last-named means4 comprising. cords incorporated in the elastic. member arranged in generally parallel Vrelationship and substantially parallel to .the

member thereby enlarging said passagewayy for receiving thearticle of' footwear,l meansv for: re-

turning the elastic member toward r'its normal position, and means for supplying fluid/under pressure to said-'chamberfor positively pressing the elastic member against the article.

3.. In apressing apparatus of; the type in which a generally annular elasticl member is forcedv by iiuid pressure agairistanl article placed within the annulus of ,the member,'filamentary means associated with` thev elastic member" for preventing ballooning of theelastic member by limiting stretch thereof in. a direction 'generally' parallel to the principal axis of the-annulusfwhilev permitting free-stretching thereof in other directions.

4. In a pressing apparatus of the type in which a generally' annular elastic A.member is forced-by uidpressure against van article placed vwithi'n the annulus offthe member, means associated: with the elastic member for limiting stretch thereofV in a'direction generally parallel to the axis of ,the annulus while 'permitting j free stretching thereof in otherdirections, said: means comprising cords f incorporated 1in'y the elastic member arranged inv generally parallel" relation-- ship yand substantially' parallel tothe principal Yaxis of the annulus.

HERBERT L. DAVIS.` 

